Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with that famous quote, "Do one thing every day that scares you." I'm not sure if that would be wise -- or even manageable -- on a daily basis, but once in a while, it's probably not a bad idea. So this week, I decided to finally tackle one of my greatest creative fears: free-motion quilting.
I've been saving a bundle of Little Joys by Elea Lutz for a Christmas project this year, and I thought it would be fun to downsize the Starlet mini quilt pattern from my book for a 18" square pillow. After figuring out how to use the darning foot on my machine, studying the pages of Free-Motion Quilting by Angela Walters, and practicing some basic patterns on a few leftover fabric strips, I took a deep breath and plunged ahead.
Christmas is a time for pulling out memories from the past, and I think this pillow is going to fit in well with that crowd. Every year, I'll be able to look at this pillow cover and smile over my first attempt at free-motion quilting -- not awful, but definitely with lots of room for improvement. I attempted a whole range of patterns on this project, including flowers, loops, and wishbones, with varying levels of success. Practice will do me good, and I'm looking forward to trying again in the months to come.
But for today I'm pretty happy because, hey...finished a Christmas project? Check. Faced a fear? Check. Participated in Finish It Up Friday for the first time in months? Check.
Yep, it's all good.
